Biden memoir details Jan. 6 grievances and cancer update

Joe Biden writes that Donald Trump should carry the weight of the Jan. 6 riots to his grave. The former president makes this claim in the first excerpt of his memoir, Promise Me, America. The Atlantic published the excerpt on Monday, Nov. 9. The full book is scheduled for release on Nov. 17. Biden is 83 years old. He describes his predecessor and successor as 80 years old. The two men have a complicated history that spans their time in the White House.

The memoir details Biden’s view of the events leading up to the attack on the Capitol. He writes that Trump led an insurrection after the American people voted him out of office. Biden argues that the rioters were not peaceful protesters. He notes that they came armed to stop the official certification of a legitimate election. Biden chides Trump for issuing more than 1,500 pardons to the offenders. He says Trump and his supporters now act like friends of law enforcement. Biden argues that you cannot ignore police being punched, speared, sprayed, and brutalized while calling yourself a friend of the force.

Biden also addresses the reversal of his policies during Trump's second term. He laments the work of the Department of Government Efficiency. He cites the aggressive undoing of climate change initiatives. Biden writes that all presidents feel their legacy is vulnerable to political shifts. He says this feeling was magnified by Trump's dismissive nature. Biden characterizes Trump as someone who could not tolerate the idea that another leader's accomplishments were worth building on. Instead, he suggests Trump wanted to tear institutions down.

The release of the book follows strong results for Democrats in the recent midterm elections. The party secured broad majorities in the House and Senate. They also flipped control of several statehouses. Despite these wins, many voters still hold skeptical views of Biden's presidency. Biden posted on social media on Sunday to pitch the memoir. He described it as the best way to explain the challenges he faced and the decisions he made. He also shared an update on his health.

Biden announced a prostate cancer diagnosis months after leaving office. He says doctors are encouraged by his response to treatment. However, he notes that some days are better than others. He explains that his condition sometimes slows him down. Because of this, he will limit his activities promoting the book. He asks readers to let the book speak for him. He will not be able to do as many conversations as he had hoped.

The excerpt includes a recounting of an Oval Office meeting with Trump. This meeting took place days after the 2020 election. Biden says Trump told him that if it were not for politics, they would be good friends. Trump also said he was relieved he did not have to run against Biden. Biden used the two-hour meeting to give Trump a tour of world affairs. He covered the war in Ukraine, NATO alliances, and relations with China and the Middle East. Biden says Trump focused on the personalities of world leaders rather than the substance of international relations.

The title of the new memoir echoes an earlier book by Biden. That book, Promise Me, Dad, detailed the life and death of his son Beau. Beau Biden died of cancer in 2015. The title came from a conversation during Thanksgiving in 2014. Beau asked his father to promise that he would be all right no matter what happened. Biden repeats this theme in his new post. He asks readers to promise that America will never forget it was built on the idea that all of us are created equal.